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Boob Town?

By Suzanne Harrison
Reuters

Contributed by Rachelle Austin
Miami
June 2, 1998

Shopping for bigger breasts or thinner thighs has never been easier in South Florida, and Latin American men and women are flocking here for the promise of the body beautiful.

``There's a lot of plastic surgery being done in South Florida. There's a lot of cosmetic surgeons living down here -- it's a nice place to live,'' Marc Pearl, president of the Premier Center for Plastic Surgery in Miami's Coconut Grove, told Reuters in an interview.

``So the competition is here and the prices are lower than the rest of the country. We have more Latin American patients than from any other outside country, which is more to do with South Florida's location,'' he said.

After all, Miami Beach is home to the bare body. Flip through the pages of the several weekly publications and you will find alluring advertisements featuring perfectly sculpted nude silhouettes and endless lists of techniques to change your shape -- and your life.

Miami resident Iris Hernandez, 26, who had liposuction done and was back at work the next day, said the surgery gave her more confidence. ``I work out ... but my saddle bags were not going away,'' she said. ``Now I'm definitely more confident. It's something very common, especially down here in South Florida. People are more body conscious ... we're driven more physically. Everybody wants to be beautiful.''

BEAUTY BUSINESS NEVER BETTER

Pearl said the beauty business has never been better. His company advertises extensively on radio and in publications.

``Predominantly South Florida is the top area for cosmetic surgery,'' he said, listing California and New York as other centers. ``There's a lot of inexpensive surgery done in Latin America. They want to come here for the quality care. I'd say that business is booming.''

Dr. Sam Gershenbaum, a Miami plastic surgeon, echoed Pearl's experience with foreign clients. ``Certainly there is a large influx of people coming from out of the country. Latin America is a big market for cosmetic surgery,'' he said.

``I also have patients from Germany and ... Italy. ... I'd say the U.S. is one of the most advanced (places) for cosmetic surgery procedures and I think a lot of people in other countries realize that. From my experience, it is growing,'' Gershenbaum said.

Dr. Baruch Jacobs, a Miami Beach surgeon, said about 20 per cent of his clients were foreigners. He also said some of the Latin Americans who came to see him ``wouldn't be seen dead'' having plastic surgery in their own counties.

But nothing, it seems, stops some people from choosing a cheap alternative. Jacobs said he has seen cases of people who left the United States in search of cheaper surgery. ``I can't tell you how many patients have come back from Costa Rica on tours and they're bleeding to death,'' he said.

BEWARE VERY LOW SURGERY PRICES

Prospective clients should be wary of very low prices for surgery, Gershenbaum said. ``As the years go on cosmetic surgery has become more affordable and acceptable. But there's people who are more interested in price than quality and usually, when something is very, very inexpensive, there's a reason.''

Most of Gershenbaum's clients were seeking liposuction. Jacobs said the same was true for him, adding that he gets quite a few women in their early 20s seeking breast augmentation and some as young as 13 wanting liposuction. But he said the average client age was about 40.

Elizabeth Sadati, communications director of The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) in New York, said Florida was one of the top four states in terms of the number of procedures and surgeons, mostly because of a ``predominantly aging population and the warm weather.''

In a report released last month ASAPS said nearly 2.1 million Americans underwent cosmetic surgery or nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 1997. There were nearly 177,000 liposuctions, making it the third most frequently performed procedure after chemical peels and collagen injections.

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